Bruce Larkin (born January 23, 1957) is a

children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

, and ESL expert who writes in English and Spanish. Many of his works are published by Wilbooks, an educational

publishing company Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

. Larkin's books are primarily used to teach young children how to read. Larkin has published more than 1,500 book titles, both fiction and non-fiction, for beginner readers. He has also written more than 3,000 poems. Bruce Larkin is known for his

philanthropic Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

efforts in the field of

literacy Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

. In November and December 2009, Larkin donated over 400,000 books to

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

s all around the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Larkin was named the 2012 Children's Poet of the Year by the Literacy Empowerment Foundation. Larkin has an interest in jackalopes, and refers to himself as a "jackalopoligist" with a specialty in "flaggerdoots".

Biography

Bruce Larkin, a children's book author, and poet was born on January 23, 1957, in

West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the 2010 census. West Chester is the mailing address for most of its neighb ...

. He attended the Saint Simon and Jude school in

Westtown Township, Pennsylvania Westtown Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,827 at the 2010 census. History County Bridge No. 148 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. Geography According ...

. Larkin also attended Henderson High School in West Chester. Larkin served for four years in the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

, as a small boat

crew member Crewman is a generic term for a crew member serving in the operation of an aircraft, naval vessel, or train. The term may also refer to individuals serving in a military capacity on weapon system platforms, such as those operating a tank. In so ...

, and later as a search-and-rescue Air-crewman. After leaving the Coast Guard, Larkin attended

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Stockton University is a public university in Galloway Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. It is named for Richard Stockton, one of the New Jersey signers of the U.S. Declaration of Independence ...

, located in Galloway Township, New Jersey. Larkin was a member of the Westtown-Goshen

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

in West Chester.

AKA The
Jackalope The jackalope is a mythical animal of North American folklore described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns. The word ''jackalope'' is a portmanteau of ''jackrabbit'' and ''antelope''. Many jackalope taxidermy mounts, including the original, ...
Man.

Bibliography

Poetry Bibliography

References

External links